Beet harvester



Mi GREENE. BEET HARVESTERE APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1920- PatentedMar. 28, 1922.-

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Mum/E M. A. GREENE.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1920.

1,41 1,0 1 5 Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Q Q fi y m 'N W z mar ners.

ras sr'ras MORGAN A. GREENE, or Bursar, rnano.

ft m a m. M

BEET HARvEsTER.

Application filed February 27,1920. Serial No. 361,857.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, MORGAN A. GREENE, acitizen of the United States, residing at. Rupert in the county ofMinidoka and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in aBeet Harvester, ofwhich the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a beet harvesterand more particularly to a beet topper, picker, and conveyor; I o

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a device ofthis character which is portable and which will top the beets as itprogresses over the ground and pick and convey the topsto areceptaclewhere they are depositedi until it is desired to dump in aile. f i Another object of the invention consists in a plurality oftopperswhereby a plurality of rows of beets may be topped at the sametime. i

A further object of the' invention consists in the novel form of gaugefor limiting the amount of tops cut from each beet;

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the, noveldetails of construction and arrangement of parts which will be moreclearly understood from the following specification and drawings inwhich y Figure 1 is a top plan. L c

Figure 2is' a side elevation with parts broken away,

Figure 3 is a top conveyors5and Figure 4 is a longitudinal verticalsection on th'e'linc 4-4 of Figure 3 looking in the direction ofthe'arrow. In the drawings the numeral 1. indicates the frame of themachine having the axle 2 extending transversely thereof, intermediatethe ends. Wheels 3 are mounted upon the ends of the axle 2 and act asthe rear wheels of the machine. The front guide wheel is indicated at 4and is providedwith an upwardly extending spindle 5' which passesthrough an opening in the forward end of the frame '1. A ton us 6 issecured to the spindle 5, adjacent t eupper end, and the draft animalsor a tractor may be secured to this tongue for moving the machine asdesired. A brace bar 7 1s secured transversely of the frame 1 in therear of the axle 2, and is provided with the offset portions 8 for aplan of oneof the picker purpose to be later described. -A bar 9 issecured to the center of the ban! and extends longitudinally towardstheforward end of the machine; This bar 9 is provided with an openingthrough which the spindle 5 passes and the forward end of the bar isbent downwardly as indicated at 10 as more particularly illustratedinFigure 2 oftithe drawings.

An eye 11 is formed on the forward end of the downwardly bent portion 10undadoubletree 12is secured to this eye.

.Downwardly ext-ending lugs 1.3 are formed on the underside of the bar 9and forwardly extending arms 14 are secured to the trans verse bar 7 andare provided with down-. wardly extending lugs 14 Frames 15 arepivotally mounted between the lugs 13 and 14' and I will hereafter termthese frames the plcker frames. As illustrated more par t cularly inFigure 1 of the drawings there are two of thesepicker frames ,andtheyeX- tend at an angle to form a substantially shaped space therebetween.A roller 16 is rotatably mounted in the lower end olf'each of the frames15 and a similar roller 17 is rotatably mounted in the upper end of eachframe. An endless belt 18 passes around the rollers 16 and 17 and isprovided with the transversely extending slats 19 having the prongs 20on the outer faces thereof. These prongs 20 are preferably of the shapeillustrated more particularly in Figure 4 of the drawings. i

Arms 21 are secured to eachside of the frame. 15 and have right angledextensions 22 terminating in a knife edge 23, These right angledextensions 22 and knife edge'23 i will be spaced from the ground asindicated more particularly n Figures 2 and 4 of the drawings. Disks24are rotatahly connected i to the downwardly extending arms 21 for a Lpurpose tohe later described. Angle iron strips 25 are secured-to thebar, 9 'and'arm 1.4, at the upper end of the conveyors 18, and areprovided with a plurality of teeth 26 through whichthe prongs 20arehdapted to pass. Thepurpose' of these teeth will be and these gaugesare curved as indicated i more particularly in Figure of the draw- Iings with their lower edges pointing towards openings 3'12 adapted toreceive a bolt 33.

the lower end or the picker frame The lower end of the gaugeis providedwith a pluralityoii spaced teeth 31 tliroug-lrwliicli the prongsare'adapted to. pass. The gauge is also provided with aplural ty ofoffset portions ;8' of the bar 7.. These plates or disks are provided"withtheinternal, gear teeth 36 which are adapted. to meshwithgearwheel's 3'7 secured: to the shaft carryingfthe up'per roller. 17, ot thepicker elevator. Therea fore as the wheel .3 rotates the shaft; 2'willbe rotated and thereby rotate the plates and through v the. teethjther'eoff the gears 37 and roller 17'. This will operate the; endlessbelt 18 over the rollersfor a purpose to be later described. I

' A receptacle. 3'81'1ss11pport-ed in the rear end of the. frame, 1, andis provided with the forward upstanding arms 39 and the rear upstandingarms 40. A bar 41 connectsthe upwardly extending arms 3,9-and i0 and isalso secured to thef'ralne l asrnore particularly illustrated in. Figure2 of. the drawings. Thereceptacle. 38 is provided with I the bottom 42which. is; pivotally connected at 43 and, provided. with the. upwardlyextending arm 44. A rod 45 is connected. to the upwardly extending arm44 and the op-' posite end is connected to a foot lever 46 pivotallyconnected to .the frame 1.

Downwardly extendingbars or arms 47 are. secured to'the. frame 1 and aroller 48 is rotatably mounted between these downwardly extending barsorj'arms. A, roller 49 is rotatably connected to or. carried by the lupwardly extending members 39 of there ceptacle and an endlessbelt e1-conveyor 50 passes, around the. rollers JCS-and 49.. This endless,.belt,or conveyor is. provided with transversely extending slats 51 as; shownmoreparticularly in. Figure. 2 of; the drawings. gear wheel is securedothe ax 2 and-to. the; shatt supporting theroller 49 and achain.52-encircles-sa'id gear. wheel for o crating the conveyor belt, 50. whenthe ax e ifsrotatedl As shown the upper orrear end of the. conveyr-belt; 50. extends, over th top oi the receptacle, 38. so. that, thearticles carried} by the. belt may be. diunped i o e receptacle. I

' A1 seat 53 is supported'uponthe frame 1 betweenthe axle 2. and,receptacle i more particularly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

From the above detailed description it is thought that the. operationwill be clearly understood. It draft. animals are to be used forconveying the harvester they will be i-on'nected to the tongue 6 anddoubletree 1.2 'in the usual manner. drawn over the ground the beetswill be As the machine is topped and said portions which are out offwillbe picked up and conveyed to a receptacle where they ,will bedeposi-ted until it is desii'ed tov dump them in a pile. The

gauges 30 ar adjusted to-theproper position withrelation tothe knifeedge'23 so that the desired amount will be cut from the (input eachbeet. It, will be underst-ood that the gauges 30 may: be-adjustedtoadaptthe several parts of my invention tobeets-which I are extending from theground any desired distance The knif edges 23. Willi cuta portiononsthetop of the beet. and. the endless belt or; conveyor- 13 willrotate sov that the prongs" 20 will. pass through the, teeth 31 of thegauge. The prongs or teeth 20, will engage in the cut oif'portionsa oftherbefits and carry them upwardly until they aredisengaged from theprongs by the teeth 26.

When disengaged theltops. will fall upon the conveyor belt 50 and beconveyed and dropped into the receptacle 38. When; the reccptaclehasbeen. filledto the. desired amount. the foot lever ifi'is operated toswing thebottom 42 on the p ivot;43. This will allow the tops to dropupon the ground in a pile. The several conveyors areioper ated bytherotationo'f the, ground wheels 3. These ground wheels will operate thedisks 35 havingitheteeth 36;which in turn will rotate the gear wheels 37and. from; them the conveyor belts.1.8.. At the sametimethe rotation ofthechain 52 will opera l the conveyor belt 50 to convey the, tops; up.-wardly... As statedinthe objeets of theiinvention the gauges 30 maybe'adjusted; so as to top. the predetermined amount. from: each beet Theblades'or disks 2d are used for cutting any tops which havedropped uponthe ground. This; prevents w the; tops from being. enmeshed in. theoperating; parts: of the machine. r I

The foregoing descriptionand the accom panying awi gs have re ere ce toa might be. considered the approved, or; pre ferred, form oi myinvention. I; desire it to be understood that I may makesuch changes inconstruction, comb nation and arrangement of parts, materials;dimensionsetc, as

may: prove expedient and fall, within scone f the; app nded. claims-1.

Having fully des r bed my nven iou hat I claim as new and desire tosecure by-Let ters Patent is':--.-. 1 r

' 1, A beet harvester comprising a. frame, whee supporte he f ame...axmt irg blade secured to the frame, a conveyor having 1ts forward endad acent the cuttlng blade, prongs carried on the conveyor, a

52. A beet harvester comprising a frame,

a cutting'bla'de secured to the frame, a conveyor having its forward endad acent the cutting blade, prongs carried on the con-v veyor, a gaugeincluding a curved body portion having teeth formed onlts lower endpivotally connected adjacent the forward end of theconveyor, said gaugeprovided with a plurality of openingsupon its up per end, a rodpivotally connected to the frame and having an eye in one end and a boltadapted to pass through the eye in the rod and in the openingjn thegauge so as to adjust same in the manner described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

V MORGAN A. GREENE. it-messes:

' ALBERT HQLEE,

OSCAR F. ALLEN.

